LIGHTNING (6 page)

Brooke

Before heading to bed, I stopped by Logan’s room and he was sound asleep. He looked so peaceful, but I knew he was far from it. Far from the life he once knew only a couple of months ago. I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed, pulling the covers over me. I couldn’t stop thinking about how angry he was. But I saw something more than anger in his face. I saw fear. A fear that I knew all too well. I closed my eyes to get some sleep before tomorrow came. Logan getting his cast off was going to be the start of the painful hell that was to come.

As I tried to wheel Logan out of the apartment, he told me to back off. It was obvious that he was still pissed off at me for last night.

“Are you ready for this?” I walked beside him as he wheeled himself to the elevator.

“No,” he snapped.

“Do me a favor. Save your anger for rehabilitation. Not for me.”

“Whatever, Brooke.”

I rolled my eyes as we took the elevator down to the lobby and out the doors of the building. After I helped him from his wheelchair and into the black sedan his brother, Brandon, sent, I climbed in on the other side. Once we reached the hair salon, I helped Logan out of the car and into the building where we were greeted by his hairstylist, Henry.

“Logan Jackson. Look at you. Good lord, I have my work cut out for me.” He gave a friendly smile.

“Hey, Henry. It’s good to see you. This is Brooke, my physical therapist.”

“Nice to meet you, darling,” he spoke as he took a few strands of my hair between his fingers. “You have beautiful hair.”

“Thank you.” I smiled.

He took the wheelchair from me, wheeled Logan to his station, and helped him into the chair. I thumbed through a magazine while Henry worked his magic.

“Voila!” I heard him speak as he wheeled Logan back to me.

I looked at him and smiled. “And he’s back.”

Logan ran his hand through his hair. “It feels good. Thanks, Henry.”

He was so damn sexy. I took in a deep breath as my thoughts escaped me. Thoughts that alluded to the fact that I was incredibly attracted to him.

“Are you ready to go get that cast off?”

“I guess as ready as I’ll ever be.”

****

Logan

Pulling up to the medical building, Brooke helped me out and I wheeled myself to the elevator that went up to the tenth floor where my doctor’s office was located. Upon entering the waiting room, I saw my brothers sitting in the chairs.

“Hey, bro. Look at you. All cleaned up.” Owen smiled as he grabbed my hand and gave me a light hug.

“Hey, Logan,” Brandon followed. “Dad wanted to be here, but he couldn’t get off work. He said if it’s okay, he’ll drop by your place later.”

“It’s good to see you guys. Thanks for coming.”

After signing myself in, we were immediately called and taken back to a large room.

“Finally going to lose that eyesore,” Owen spoke as he tapped on my cast.

“Yeah. It’s going to feel weird not having it on after all this time. But I’m happy to finally be getting rid of it.”

The door opened and Dr. Morgan walked in. “You ready to do this?” he asked.

“I sure am. Let’s get this over with, doc.”

As I looked over at Brooke, I expected to see a smile on her face, but instead, she had a somber look that worried me. I focused my attention back on the doctor as he began to remove my cast. Nervousness crept up inside me as he sawed through it. When I glanced over at Brooke again, she looked away. Something was bothering her and I needed to know what it was.

“And there we are,” Dr. Morgan spoke as he lifted off my cast.

The smell that radiated from the cast was repulsive. My heart started to race as I looked at my leg. All my muscle mass had significantly diminished. I gulped. My leg was smaller than my other one. I sat there as a look of pain swept over my face.

“Bro, you okay?” Owen asked as he took a step closer to me.

Brooke got up from the chair and placed her hand on my arm. I pulled away.

“Don’t,” I shouted.

“Logan, calm down,” Brandon said.

“Calm down? Can’t you see what my leg looks like? I can’t feel anything, doc. Why does my leg feel so numb? It’s probably from just being locked up in that cast, right?”

He looked down for a brief moment and Brooke answered my question.

“It’s the nerve damage, Logan.”

“I’m going to run another EMG,” Dr. Morgan spoke.

“Why?” Brooke asked.

He looked at her in confusion for a moment before answering her question.

“To assess the nerve damage.”

“But wasn’t one done the night of the accident?” she continued.

“Well, yes.”

“If anything, the damage couldn’t have gotten any worse, right?”

“I suppose. The damage was already extensive as it was.”

“Okay, so why would you run another EMG knowing that nothing has changed?”

“I’m sorry, but who are you?” He cocked his head at her.

“Brooke Alexander. Logan’s physical therapist.”

“I see.”

“Do the damn test, Dr. Morgan,” I spoke as I shot Brooke a look.

“All right. I’ll go get my nurse and we’ll get you set up.” He walked out of the room.

“Care to explain why you didn’t want me to have that test done?” I asked her in a sharp tone.

“Did you forget the rule about trusting me?” she snapped. “If you think anything has changed for the better, it hasn’t, and you don’t need some damn test to tell you any different. All it’s going to do is piss you off even more and I was trying to spare you that.”

“But you don’t know that for sure.”

She put her hand up. “You’re right, Logan. I guess I don’t.” She sat back down in the chair.

The nurse walked into the room and got everything set up for Dr. Morgan. Once she was finished, she stepped out and Dr. Morgan stepped in and began the test. Looking over at Brooke, I could see the sadness in her eyes as she stared at the monitor, and I knew right away that things weren’t any different.

“I’m sorry, Logan, but nothing has changed. The nerves in your leg are still severely damaged.”

“What about surgery?” Brandon asked.

“To be honest, with the extent of the damage, I’m not sure surgery would even help at this point. Nerves can regenerate themselves, but it will take many years and, even then, they won’t be fully functional.”

“So you don’t believe he can fully recover, Dr. Morgan?” Brooke stood up.

“No. I’m sorry. The damage is too severe. Even with the amount of physical therapy you can give him, I’m afraid he’ll never be able to get back on the ice. This condition can be managed but not cured. Being a physical therapist, you should already know that. I’m sorry, Logan. I wish I had better news for you. My best advice is to have your therapist do what she can to make you comfortable.”

I had no clue why Brooke would even ask that and it really pissed me off. Dr. Morgan walked out and Brooke looked over at me.

“Remember my rule about not listening to what the doctors tell you. Let’s get home and get that leg cleaned up.”

“How the fuck am I supposed to walk when I can’t feel my leg?” I shouted. “I’m not getting back in that fucking wheelchair!”

“Logan.” Brandon walked over and placed his hand on my shoulder.

I jerked away from him. “Don’t, Brandon.”

Brooke left the room and returned moments later with a pair of crutches.

“Really? You think I’m using those?” I spoke in a sharp tone.

“You don’t have a choice. Now get up and let’s go.” She grabbed hold of my arm. “They’re temporary.”

I grabbed the crutches from her and carefully lifted myself from the table.

Saying goodbye to my brothers, I climbed into the sedan and Brooke slid in next to me. The ride back to my apartment was silent. Apparently, she didn’t have anything to say. She was pissed and I wasn’t standing for it. She had no reason to be so angry. I was the one who had a reason.

“What the hell is your problem? Why are you giving me the silent treatment?” I asked as she stuck the key into the lock.

“I don’t have a problem. I’m giving you your space.” She held the door open for me.

“Why?”

Throwing the keys on the table, she turned and looked at me.

“Because you’re extremely upset. I knew this would happen if you had that test done. Why do you think I said there was no need for it? You didn’t need to be reminded about how serious things with your leg are and you most certainly didn’t need to hear the doctor say that you’ll never step on the ice again.”

The way she stood there and stared at me with her blue eyes made me tremble. I wanted nothing more than to kiss her right at that moment. To taste her lips and feel how soft they would be when pressed against mine. As angry as I was about what the doctor said, her being with me at this moment made me forget everything. As I placed my hand on her cheek, she slowly closed her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I know I haven’t said it yet, but thank you for being here.”

She opened her eyes and softly spoke, “You’re welcome.” Taking my hand from her cheek, Brooke brought it to her lips. “Now let’s get you in the shower and get that leg cleaned up.”

Brooke

While Logan was in the shower, I waited on the couch. I couldn’t stop thinking about how his hand felt on my cheek and the riveting pulses that shot through my body. Pulses that were new to me. Pulses that I had never felt with anyone else before. I needed to prepare myself because helping him was going to be tough as it was and I couldn’t let personal feelings get in the way. He needed to recover without any distractions.

“Brooke!” I heard him yell from the bathroom.

Jumping up from the couch, I ran to the door.

“What’s wrong?”

“My leg. I’m in so much pain and I can’t get up off the fucking shower floor!” he spoke through gritted teeth.

Opening the door and running to the shower, I slid the glass door over and found him lying on the floor in a fetal position, holding his leg. Turning off the shower, I grabbed a towel and stepped inside, wrapping it around his lower body.

“It hurts so bad.”

Grabbing another towel from the cabinet, I dried him off the best I could.

“You need to get up, Logan.” I firmly grasped his arm. “I’m going to lift you, but you need to help me.”

“I need a fucking pain pill, Brooke.”

“And I’m going to give you something, but you need to get up off this floor. Okay?”

He slowly nodded his head as I helped him off the floor while he held his towel against him, and onto the marble seat that sat in the corner of the shower. With his jaw tightly clenched, he leaned his head all the way back.

“I thought I told you to sit and shower. How the hell did you fall?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he growled.

“Stay here and I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Trust me.”

I ran to my room and opened up the suitcase that contained the medicines I brought with me from California. Shaking the pills into my hand and grabbing the amber-colored glass bottle, I went to the kitchen and took a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

“Here, take these.” I handed him four pills.

“Are these Tylenol?” he asked as he looked up at me.

“No.” I smiled. “They’re a Chinese herbal medicine to help with the pain.”

“These aren’t going to help me!” he shouted.

As I reached down and grabbed both of his wrists, our eyes locked.

“Do you trust me?” I slowly asked in a calm tone.

He hesitated for a moment before answering, “I don’t know if I do.”

Letting go, I took a step back and placed my hands on my hips.

“Well, you better get your head out of your ass and start or else this isn’t going to work.”

His face, frozen as the pain swept over his eyes, focused on me. He didn’t say a word as he popped the pills in his mouth and chased them down with water.

“Thank you. Now sit here for a few minutes while I go find you something to put on.”

Walking into his room, I opened up his closet and found a black robe hanging on the hanger. This would have to do for now. Walking back to the bathroom, I looked at Logan.

“How’s the pain?”

“Tolerable.”

“Good. I brought your robe.” I smirked as I held it up while he slipped his arms into the sleeves.

“Why are you smirking?”

I shrugged. “No reason.”

The truth was that there was something about a man in a robe that bugged the shit out of me. Two-piece pajamas were fine as far as I was concerned, but a robe was a definite no-no.

“Could you please turn around while I remove my towel and tie my robe?”

“Really? You’re worried about that? I am a doctor, after all. I’ve seen many dicks in my lifetime.”

“I’m sure you have, but you’re a beautiful woman, and I think it’s best that I leave my manhood to your imagination.” He winked.

I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

Once his robe was secured, I held on to him and helped him out of his oversized shower. Handing him his crutches, I told him to go take a seat on the couch.

“I can’t go to my bed?” he asked.

“No. You’ve spent too much time there the past couple of months. The only time you’re allowed to get into bed is to sleep.”

He took a seat on the couch and gave me a funny look.

“What?” I asked.

“I need some underwear if I’m going to be sitting here.” He sat with his legs crossed.

“Then go get a pair. Take your crutches and hobble to your room and put them on. The days of people doing everything for you are over, Mr. Jackson. I’m going to go in the kitchen and pour us some wine. As soon as I get back, I’ll start working on your leg.”

With a cocked head and a narrowing eye, he spoke, “Are you always so bossy?”

“Most of the time.” I smirked as I turned and headed to the kitchen.

****

Logan

Shaking my head and with a small smile, I grabbed my crutches, headed to my bedroom, and took a pair of underwear out from the drawer. After putting them on, I hobbled back out to the living room where I found Brooke sitting down, sipping on a glass of wine.

“Have a seat.” She patted the couch.

“So therapy starts now?” I asked as I sat down.

“Yes. Therapy officially starts now.”

She got up from the couch and grabbed the amber-colored bottle from the table. Twisting the cap off, she poured the contents into her hand.

“What is that stuff?”

She got down on her knees, brought my leg up to the coffee table, and started with my foot. “It’s a special Chinese oil that contains many healing properties.”

Her hands rubbed around my foot before reaching up to my calf and thigh. Her touch, even if it was for therapeutic reasons, turned me on. I gulped as I felt my cock twitch. Just the mere fact that her beautiful slender hands were on me was driving me crazy. I needed to distract my thoughts because the only thing running through my mind was fucking her on the couch.

“Where did you get that stuff?”

“A friend of mine.” She looked up at me with a beautiful smile.

“You know what I’ve noticed about you?” I asked.

“What?”

“Your answers are always so vague.”

Her eye narrowed as she looked at me. “You think?”

“I don’t think. I know.”

She straddled my leg as her thumbs pressed down deeply.

“Who’s this friend of yours?”

“His name is Jeung Woo. He’s the one who helped me walk again.”

She stopped massaging my leg, wiped her hands on the towel she brought from the bathroom, and took a sip of wine.

“He must be an incredible doctor, then.” I smiled.

“He’s not a doctor. He’s a healer.”

“How did you find him?”

She poured some more oil into her hands and vigorously rubbed them together before placing them on my leg.

“My father has a lot of business contacts in China, and after telling his friend over there about the accident, he suggested that we get in touch with Woo. So my father did and he agreed to see us. We left for China the following week.”

“How long after the accident was that?”

“Six weeks. I spent those six weeks in my room and in my bed, refusing to get out of it.” Her brow arched as she looked up at me. “If I couldn’t walk, there was no sense in me trying to get back to my life before the accident. Being fourteen at the time and hormonal, I had hit my lowest point. I was very angry. I hated the world. Every time my dad would try to talk to me, I would push him away. He even sent a psychiatrist to the house to come talk to me.”

“Did the psychiatrist help you?”

“Not really because I wasn’t open to listening to her. There was nobody who could tell me how to feel. It wasn’t until after I met Woo that I started to open up.”

“How long were you in China?”

“About six months. My father had arranged for an American teacher to homeschool me while I was there. Because of his business, he couldn’t stay with me, so he left me in the good care of Woo.”

“He left you there in China all alone with a total stranger?”

Her lips gave way to a gentle smile. “Woo became like a second father to me very quickly. I understood why my father couldn’t stay and I wasn’t about to let the accident destroy my family’s life any further. He taught me so much about life and what was really important. After Woo felt my time in China was up, he flew back to the States with me and stayed with us for three months while he continued my rehabilitation. Just between you and me, I didn’t think he was ready to say goodbye. I had kind of grown on him.”

“He sounds like a good man.”

“He is. After careful consideration, he left China and moved to California. He has a practice there. He wanted to bring his knowledge to the States and try to help those who wanted to seek an alternative medicinal route.”

“Am I really going to be able to play hockey again, Brooke?” I asked with seriousness.

Her hands came to a halt on my leg and she looked up at me with her beautiful blue eyes.

“It’s up to you, Logan. Only you have the power to decide whether or not you’ll get better.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. My leg is fucked up.”

She stood up, wiped her hands, and then took a seat next to me. Grabbing my hand and interlacing our fingers, she spoke, “We all have a natural self-healing ability. You just have to tap into that ability. Listen, Logan, I’m going to be brutally honest with you. Your road to recovery is going to be intense and exhausting. You’re going to become so frustrated that you’ll want to give up. But I will stand by you every step of the way. It’s going to be hell, but we’ll walk through it together. You won’t have to do it alone.”

Staring into her eyes and listening to her soft-spoken tone overwhelmed me with a feeling I hadn’t had in a very long time. A feeling of peace. I placed my hand on her cheek. This woman had the most beautiful soul of anyone I’d ever known and it was taking every ounce of strength I had not to kiss her.